Cloverdale Harvest Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K

Set for its 5th annual running here in the Sonoma County wine country, on a course that winds alongside the Russian River and among the vineyards of Northern California’s Alexander Valley, the Cloverdale Harvest race features a full marathon, half marathon and a 10K race, all open to both runners and walkers.

All three races start on the grounds of the Asti Winery, located just off Highway 101 in Sonoma County and south of Cloverdale, which was recognized by Budget Travel magazine as the “coolest small town in the West” in 2010.

Runners will find themselves in the heart of the California wine country here, running past hillsides filled with row after row of wine grapes, and runners who complete either the half or the full marathon will receive complimentary wine following the race at the post-race party.

Before that, however, there is the matter of actually getting out and running the course! The organizers plan to allow for generous time limits for completion, with 6 hours for the full marathon and 5 hours for the half marathon, which should allow for most everyone to cross the finish line within the official time for the race, whether they’re running or walking the course.

From the starting line at the winery, runners in the half marathon will follow what is basically a pair of out-and-back stretches along the banks of the Russian River.

First, they’ll head east through town away from the fairgrounds and toward the river, northeast along East 1st Street and under the Redwood Highway (Highway 101) toward the turn off from the road and onto the trail that winds alongside the river, at the Cloverdale Cemetery.

Later, the course veers off the roadway from Dutcher Creek Road and onto the trails that wind alongside the vineyards just south of the Asti Winery, between there and Simmons Road. They’ll run through these vineyards and join up with Simmons Road for the next couple of miles before finishing back at the Asti Winery.

Race Weather & Climate

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California, roughly 90 miles north of downtown San Francisco, Cloverdale typically sees cool to moderately warm weather in October, which has brought record temperatures here as low as 32°F (in 1971) and as high as 106°F (in 1980).

On race day (Oct. 18), the average low is 49ºF and the average high is 77ºF.